


The Passing

by Ecrivaine



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Clairvoyance, Detectives, Gangsters, Ghosts, Kidnapping, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Murder, Other Side, Sixth Sense, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22140943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecrivaine/pseuds/Ecrivaine
Summary: Eren Jaeger, one of the best detectives in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force (TMP,) had been keeping a secret from the rest of his team for years before his death:  For as long as he could remember, he could make contact with spirits. His friends on the other side had always aided him on his cases, even a few promotions could be attributed to them. After the spirit of a former, notable sleuth found him, Eren learned how to use his abilities to their fullest extent.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 25
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [ last editing sweep - May 21st 2020 ]

The cold sweat the brunette woke up in felt much more like warm blood as he slowly cracked open his eyes. His chest heavy, stomach in second-hand pain, he gave a huff before shoving the sheets off of his body, sitting up to stretch. Wiping the remnants of his nightmare from his eyes, he swung his legs over his bedside and stood up, yawning before he noticed the figure of an old man sitting in his chair in the corner. 

"Wass'hat you?" He asked with a tired, but gentle voice. The figure nodded. 

"Sorry if it was too much, boy. When you go ages before anyone even notices you, you feel the need to share your past, you know?" Eren nodded at the figure's words. Looking more in detail at the spirit, he could see the spirit was giving him an apologetic smile under a gray mustache. His skin seemed to be a tanned tone, no hair on his head to speak of. He had only been greeted by this spirit a few times, but he knew the old man didn't mean any harm. This man, going by the passed on memories that manifested into his nightmare, was a war veteran of some kind. Eren saw the same blood and guts, heard the same screams and felt the same pain as the man before him did while his eyes were closed. Eren didn't mind being an outlet for spirits to share their anguish, but he had to admit: _sometimes it was tough to stomach._ While Eren Slipped his bare feet into the comfort of his slippers, the spirit spoke to him again. 

"You're up early. Are you not going back to sleep?" The spirit tilted his head as he watched over the boy. 

"Oh," Eren gave a soft huff of a laugh at his dug his fingers into his mess of hair. With a shrug, he answered. 

"I just...Might as well get an early start, that's all. You're welcome to tag along if you wanna, uhm..." He blinked as the realization that he didn't have a name for the figure in front of him dawned on him. Eren was usually keen to learn the names of all of his visitors, but, sometimes there were a few spirits that he missed. 

"Commander. Commander Dot Pixis." Eren's breath hitched in his throat for a moment, his emeralds widening in surprise while his mouth fell into a perfect 'O' shape. He instantly jumped into a salute, balling his right hand into a fist and holding it over his beating heart. The spirit only scoffed and waved him away. 

"I'm dead now, boy, there's no need for that." With a chuckle, the man faded from Eren's sight, leaving Eren to get on with his morning routine. 

Since before Eren could remember, he always had the other side watching over him. He still remembered seeing his gift through a young child's eyes. Often, the spirits he would see would play along into the narrative that they were his imaginary friends. They would play with him, sometimes even go by the names he made up for them, but as he grew older he realized his error. He had gone from playing with his imaginary friends to sitting in a therapist's office, trying to tell them he wasn't crazy while also trying to explain what he saw. It was a long road to acceptance, but by the time he was an adult, he had come to terms with the fact that: **'He saw dead people'** and **'That was okay'.** While his teenage years had been filled to the brim with trying to shove the ghosts away from him, his adulthood started with him opening his arms, fully embracing each and every spirit that graced him with their presence. His daily routines were heavily influenced by the spirits he made conversation with. He had frequent visitors that helped him cook, others that helped him clean and others he ate with. He supposed, as the number of spirits he saw increased, that perhaps the word had gotten around fast in their world: 'Any spirits, young and old, are always welcomed to Eren Jaeger's home.' 

With the taste of mint dominating his tongue, Eren felt a craving for coffee. Stepping into his kitchen, a smile spread wide across his face as he saw his mother gazing out of his window. 

"Morning, Mom," He greeted her with a warm smile, causing her to turn and return a smile just as warm, despite her cold temperature. 

"Eren, good morning- You're up so early this morning, are you alright?" His mother's face changed from happy to concerned as she attempted to cup her boy's cheeks. Eren shivered ever so slightly as he felt her cold fingertips on his skin. He only wished he could cup his hands around her wrists as he took a breath to answer her. 

"I just wanted to get an early start, that's all. I promise you, I'm okay." Eren let an airy laugh litter his words as he tried to assure the concerned woman. With clear reluctance, his mother nodded and let him go from her chilling grasp, letting him get to the coffee maker. 

"You need to clean that." She quickly reminded him, resulting in him rolling his eyes before nodding in agreement. 

"I will," He started, reaching up into his cupboard on the wall to take out a coffee pod, noticing a layer of dust forming on the top of his machine. 

"When I get back I-" 

"You said that last time." His mother was quick to point out, crossing her arms with a disappointed look that caused Eren's heart to crack. Pressing the button to start his coffee machine up, he sighed and turned to her. 

"Alright, when I get back today, I will. I promise. Mom, can you check if there's any mail for me outside? Please?" He put his hands together and wore his best puppy dog eyes as he changed the subject, making his mother's heart warm even in death. When she nodded, he gave a bright smile, showing all of his pearly whites as he thanked her. 

Eren often didn't talk about his mother's passing. It was a touchy subject for him despite still being able to talk to her. The only people who knew about the accident were his two closest friends and fellow co-workers, Armin and Mikasa. He intended to keep it that way, even if he let a few small pinches of information slip out sometimes to others. Having his mother there with him was a blessing and a curse for him when he really thought about it. Her presence showed him that he could still communicate with her, that he hadn't lost her and that she was still by his side, however, her presence also showed him that she was gone. She wasn't living, wasn't breathing, and only he could see or hear her. The moments his mental health pounced on him were the moments where the curse of his gift really sank in. Due to a school of bullying when he tried to tell his secret to others, his depression took his abuser's words and ran with them, insisting that Eren was faking, or that he was crazy when he was alone.

Clearing his throat, Eren cleared his mind of those thoughts, instead, focusing on his mother's smile when she came back, shaking her head and telling him he wasn't expecting anything. 

Deciding he would eat lunch as a first meal, he promptly got dressed and stepped out into the harsh winter's cold. The wind began prickling and gnawing at his skin as he started to walk. Taking the backstreets for a shorter route, Eren could see all the early birds that he usually saw. Some were literal birds, however, he found a lot of spirits often littered that route and waved to him, bowing as he passed as a sign of respect. They usually all stood still, but just up ahead of him, Eren spotted a spirit walking into the blanket of fog that covers the streets. 

"That's...Strange..." He squinted, noticing the spirit wearing the same uniform as he was. All the spirits he saw at work usually lingered in the halls and in the coffee room, laughing with each other or talking about their deaths, never leaving the building, but the spirit Eren could see up ahead seemed determined to get out of the cold. Taking a few long strides, Eren tried to catch up with them, but only got as far as seeing the spirit's raven black locks before the figure vanished. Clicking his tongue and making a mental note, Eren continued walking until he could see his beloved station up ahead. He would focus on his work, as always, but decided he would keep an eye out for that spirit again throughout the day. 

Turning into the automatic glass doors, he let out a sigh of content as warmth finally found him again. He shrugged off his coat and folded it under his arm, bowing to the receptionist as they let him pass through the guard rail with a dazzling beam of a smile as a greeting in return. 

The walls were an off-white shade, matching with the fog outside, while the carpeted floors and felt chairs were a deep, rich blue. The smell of coffee lingered in the halls as Eren made his way up to his floor, nodding to his kohai's and bowing to his senpai's as he went. The detective had a love for his job, but the suffocating truth that he couldn't tell his co-workers was something that irritated him. He tried his best to ignore the spirits that hung around his office, but he couldn't help the twinge of guilt that would settle in his stomach as he knew he couldn't even so much as say 'hello' to the unsung heroes of his team. Stepping into an elevator, he was about to press the 'up' button, but stopped as he heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. 

"Eren!" At the call of his name, he instantly shot his hand out to stop the closing doors, having them open all the way to reveal blonde locks, bouncing off of the shoulders of a stressed-looking co-worker. With a small laugh, Eren stepped aside. 

"Armin, good morning!" He reached a hand out to ruffle his shorter friend's hair as the blonde tried to even out his breathing. 

"Th-Thank you- I'm glad you heard me-" Armin huffed out, batting Eren's hand from his hair so he could stand up straight, taking steady breaths. It was then, that Eren noticed the files his friend was clutching on to. With a raised brow, Eren pointed to them after pressing the 'up' button. 

"New case?" He asked, tilting his head with a look of pure intrigue. Armin nodded. 

"I have to take these files to Hange in the lab. If we can crossreference these with our last case, we can see if they're connected. Hange thinks they are." Armin explained, looking over the papers in his hands before looking to Eren. 

"Ah, I see...Are they about that serial killer case everyone's been stumped on recently?" Eren pressed for another question while the elevator was empty. Armin only nodded sadly. 

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but, yeah...We found burn marks on a new body that came in, they look similar to the last ones we found...Awful case, just awful." Armin shook his head, his voice speaking volumes of hurt, disgust, and sorrow. Armin's gaze flew straight up at Eren as the detective nudged him. 

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Ar, you and Hange are practically geniuses!" The words of encouragement clearly didn't do much for his friend, but they at least earned him a smile. 

Stepping out of the elevator, he waved off his friend before finding his desk, resting his coat over the back of his chair before sitting down, logging into his computer. The office, like the rest of the building, was a rich blue. The carpet, the chairs, the only thing that didn't conform to the blue sea of material were a few potted plants littered around the office. Strangely though, the green leaves seemed to fit in almost perfectly with the room, helping to give the large open space a homely feel. After a while though, Eren felt conflicted over if it were the plants or the years he'd spent at his job that made him feel more at home. With a crack of his knuckles, he delved into his cases. He sorted through the cases that were completed, the cases that needed his urgent attention, and the cases that he could slip onto the back burner temporarily. After that, he got to work meticulously arranging a checklist for himself to complete by the end of the day. 

All up until he heard a large wooden door being swung open, followed by his name being called in a deep, commanding voice. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Eren," His name was called across the blue sea of an office with confidence. As Eren stood, he nodded over to the large, intimidating frame of his captain. Blonde hair slicked back with an even part in the middle, dark and heavy, thick eyebrows framing a strong, angular face. Broad shoulders seemed to cast a shadow over half the office, despite one of his captain's arms missing. Erwin Smith was a name that Eren had always respected. That respect only grew through the years as the two formed a close and almost family-like bond. 

As Eren stepped into the office, the door was quietly closed behind him. 

"Please, have a seat." Erwin gestured to the felt chair before his desk. Eren didn't need to be told twice, his feet padding across the blue carpet to reach said chair. Over the years, Eren had noticed that Erwin's office rarely seemed to have any spirits in it. He witnessed a few here and there, but most of the ghosts seemed to recognize that Erwin's office was off-limits to them. It was strange to Eren. Usually, spirits around his workplace could be found anywhere and everywhere. In the break rooms, in the offices, in the gym on the top floor, but this office was an exception. The old oak of the desk matched perfectly to the spotless wooden planks that made up a bookshelf along the wall, the only thing that stuck out were the filing cabinets in the corner. Those, unlike the soft and warm oak, were a chilling, hard, silver. The light that bounced off of them made them look even colder. The walls and floor followed the same pattern as most of the rooms in the building: Off-White walls, blue carpet.

As Erwin moved around his desk to sit opposite Eren, the brunette couldn't help but feel small as Erwin's shadow engulfed him. Behind Erwin, was a window that was almost the same size as the wall, giving Eren a view into the foggy, white, icy abyss outside. His eyes were very quickly taken away from the view as his boss started to speak, emerald rivers met iced-over lakes.

"I apologize for taking you away from your desk," He started humbly, causing Eren to promptly shake his head in response, holding a hand up. 

"But, I feel this case would go far better if you were the one handling it. Detective Kirstein hasn't made any breakthroughs as of yet and it's been two weeks." Erwin seemed upset, but Eren knew better than to assume he was upset at the detective. Erwin was a man who cared about results. A man who cared about answers, who cared about solved cases, Erwin was obviously more so upset about the lack of a result. Just seeing that look of a troubled mind on Erwin's face filled Eren with determination to solve the case he was about to embark on.

"I know you have a certain amount of back-log after your last case, so I'm making an executive choice to give those cases to other detectives so you can focus primarily on this one. If nothing is done about this soon, I'm cautious that we may have a case of copy-cats." Erwin explained; Eren nodded. With the distressed look still marking his features, Erwin leaned back to open a drawer, taking out a file and placing it on the table, sliding it over to Eren. 

"Sir." Eren gave a small nod and a respectful 'thank you' before opening the file, letting his eyes glance over it while he listened to Erwin explain further. 

"It's a string of bank robberies. I know you're used to things that are a little bit more...Risky, but there's something different about this case that might intrigue you." Eren furrowed his brows as Erwin spoke, his fingers ghosting over a photo that seemed to be from a surveillance camera. The colors were muted shades of brown. There were no bodies, no weaponry, just a still image of the glossy floor of the bank.

"Clearly, the bank is being robbed, but there are no signs of a break-in. The guards claim they haven't seen anything and no CCTV has caught anyone in the act." Erwin watched with fondness as Eren got lost in the file, scanning over the guard's statements, along with other empty photos from different cameras. Without missing a beat, Eren looked up to his boss with a forest fire growing in his irises. 

"it's an inside job-" 

"So you would think." Erwin was quick to cut him off with a smirk lining his lips. It was then, that it clicked in Eren's mind. This was why he wanted him to take the case. It had a strange sense of mystery to it that most of his other cases had. Taking the file, Eren stood and bowed. 

"The address is in the file, I want you on the scene as soon as possible. The police on the scene are expecting you, along with Detective Kirstein." Erwin bowed his head and noticed the determined expression the young detective held, feeling a sense of hope that the case would be wrapped up in due time. 

"Sir, you can count on me, I won't let you down. I promise." 

Erwin nodded to the detective, sending him off before humming in thought. 

"That boy..." 

Erwin had always known Eren was special. Somehow, Eren seemed to just **know** things that he shouldn't. Eren was a detective so good at his job, that Erwin was convinced the boy could be a killer right under their noses on some days. Of course, that was a musing he mostly kept to himself. But, there was another reason why that boy stuck out to him. Standing up, he walked over to his filing cabinet and slid open the bottom drawer, taking out a file and closing the drawer again before resting the file on his desk gently. 

Opening it, he was met yet again with the face of another detective that stuck out to him a very long time ago, a tremor starting to make itself seen in his hand.

Narrow, sharp, eyes, raven-black locks and a look of aloofness made up the features of a detective the force sorely missed. Taking the paper between his thumb and finger, Erwin carefully slipped the photo out of the file fully, instantly feeling like something was missing. His eyes only left the photo to re-read the information on the first page for the thousandth time over. 

_**'Detective Levi R. Ackerman.** _

_**Born** : Dec, 25, 1990_

_**Died** : Jan, 06, 2018_

_**Cause of Death** : - ' _

Erwin had been in way too much pain to write down how the former detective had died. He felt more like a grieving father than a grieving boss, attending the funeral with a tear in his eye. The amount of regret he felt ever since that fateful day was something he was never able to shake. His summers bleak and dark, his winters chilling and isolated, Erwin was never the same after he lost the one detective he felt he could call his own son. His shoulders had felt nothing but heavy, his back had started to strain from carrying the blame and regret of sending his detective into a metaphorical war ages ago. Lifting with the knees only helped when the weight of his guilt wasn't heavy enough to cause his knees to buckle. Despite knowing he was risking his life, Levi had insisted that Erwin give him the case that killed him. Caring about the results, Erwin had tried his best to come to terms with the fact that Levi may never set foot into his office again, but when it all came down to it, Erwin was sorry he ever let the detective leave his office for the last time. 

In Erwin's mind, Eren was everything that Levi was. Of course, the two of them had their differences. Eren would often get disciplinaries for his anger, whereas, Levi would earn himself disciplinaries for his back talk and bad attitude. But, the two detectives were a lot the same despite never meeting. They were both determined, both sharp-minded, and both incredibly important to the force. Erwin could still sometimes hear Levi's voice, but he put it down to the grief he could never let go of. When Detective Ackerman was alive, Erwin never doubted where he would send his soldiers, but after the detective's death, Erwin lost count of how many times he would have to revise a plan just to make sure he could reduce the casualties to as few as possible. Sacrifices still needed to be made in certain situations, but the death of his adoptive son made Erwin call into question how many sacrifices were too many. 

As Erwin sat in reflection, he couldn't feel narrow, sharp, eyes on him. He couldn't see the way that raven-black locks hung low on a certain visitor's face. He couldn't feel the warmth of an old friend as his guest huffed, crossing his arms. 

"You sentimental bastard..." They scoffed, watching as Erwin muttered his sorrows to himself. Erwin would never know, but the ghost of his treasured detective would never even dare blame him for his death. The ghost and the brunette that Erwin admired both shared the same level of respect for their captain, that was something the spirit knew. Looming around at their former place of work for several years, Levi wasn't unfamiliar with Detective Eren Jaeger. He saw how hard the detective worked, and often saw himself in the younger man. But, Levi also saw how Eren would sometimes look around his desk, making direct eye contact with spirits in the room. Levi caught on almost instantly to Eren's secret, noticing how he never spoke a word about it, yet still acknowledged the ghosts in the halls. That small grain of information about the stranger made him even more curious about him. 


	3. Chapter 3

The rain burned green gems as Eren arrived on the scene, stopping his car outside the bank. Throwing open his car door, he stepped out into the acidic shower, noticing his partner on the case waiting for him as he slammed the door closed. Leaning against the wall outside of the bank, Detective Kirstein could already feel irritation bubbling up from the other man's presence. Eren watched with amusement as the detective noticed his arrival mid-way through a drag on his cigarette. The rain couldn't hide how his co-worker's shoulder's slumped, how the detective's facial expression switched from one of boredom to one of annoyance. With a clear huff, the detective threw down his cigarette and crushed it under his shoe, throwing up a hand signal for Eren to follow him inside.

"It's good to see you too, Jean." Eren smirked smugly when he caught up to his co-worker. He was greeted with another huff. 

"The _only_ reason I haven't left is because Erwin really wants this case over with. Trust me, if it were down to me I would have taken one look at your stupid face and walked the other way. So, _**don't. Test. Me. Jaeger.**_ " The detective growled out, the cigarette still on his breath. Rolling his eyes, Eren took the time to look around. He could see that the forensics team were already on the scene, dusting for fingerprints or anything else that could help the detectives on their case. He knew he shouldn't, but Eren couldn't help getting caught up in the golden-brown hues of the bank. The lights reflecting off of the floor from the windows caused the ground to shimmer in a way that could only be perceived as magical. Each footstep from other officer's shiny black boots echoed around the hall, ricocheting off of light brown walls and dark pillars. Looking over the desks that lined the hall, they all stood proudly. Not a single mark on them as far as Eren could see.

Snapping himself out of his daze, he turned to his case partner. 

"So, what do we have so far?" He asked in a serious tone, watching as Jean grimaced. 

"Well, honestly? Nothing. This one is just about as empty as all the other incidents. The guards don't know a thing," Jean tore his notes out of his notebook with frustration and vigor, shoving them into Eren's hands, not caring if the pages ripped. 

"The CCTV feed _somehow_ has no evidence on it at all, and there's no signs of any break-ins. I checked the place twice over." Jean huffed, blinking as Eren nodded, looking over the notes for a moment. 

"How are they doing this? How does someone just phase through the fucking walls, rob a bank and then fucking vanish?!" Jean's voice was stiff with anger. 

"Go check in with forensics, I'll go look at the CCTV and see if I find anythi-" 

"Be my guest, but if you see something that I haven't, I must be blind!" Jean stormed off towards a small crowd of white lab coats, leaving Eren to his own devices. 

Eren took light steps over to three bodyguards, all clad in black, sitting on seats lined up against the golden marble wall. They all sat with their backs up straight, arms crossed over each other. A pair of sunglasses shielded all of their eyes, giving them an even more intimidating appearance. 

"Excuse me," He waved for their attention. 

"Could one of you show me where the security room is? I need to see the cameras for myself." The response he got was a quiet one, but they all stood up with a nod, gesturing for him to follow them. It felt strange, being so used to getting an answer when he spoke to others, but Eren figured he would probably not want to talk either if his job were on the line. Following the three bulky figures through a set of glass doors, he was met with stark black stairs. Three, small, carpeted sets leading up to a control room, monitors and computers were hidden behind a heavy, grey, fire-door. Taking a seat in one of the three wheely chairs, he gazed up at the tower of monitors above him. Grounding himself, he threw a glance out of the window. The view was a lack-luster one, meaning that a distraction on the guard's part wasn't likely. He then took a glance around the room, spinning in the chair, looking for anything that might cause the guards to lose their focus on their screens, but found nothing of the sort. The only thing that awaited his prying eyes, were black walls, small sets of drawers and cupboards, along with a few cups of coffee littered around the room. Turning back around, he put his own focus back to the monitors. Knowing there was no reason for the guards to take their eyes off of the screens, he put his full trust in them. 

"This is all of them?" A nod from one of the security guards was his answer. 

"And they were all running at the time of the robbery?" Another nod. Eren was about to stare at the monitors to try and look for any evidence, but was taken back when one of the guards decided to suddenly speak. 

"We've ran those back several times now and they all show the same thing," they started, walking over to Eren and rewinding the tapes. 

"This was just before the robbery," They explained, showing Eren the screens that looked exactly how they did in the files he had gotten earlier. He gave a small nod and a mutter of 'Right,', then listened as the guard spoke to him again. A black, gloved hand moved to press a few buttons on the keyboard in front of Eren, kicking the CCTV footage into a time-lapse, a clock in the corner of the screen running at double the time. As Eren watched the screen, he kept his eyes peeled for any figures or shadows that could potentially be from the robbers themselves (aside from the guards that were in the camera's view,) but as the time ran on, he couldn't see anything at all. 

"And right here," The same gloved hand paused the footage. 

"Was right after the robbery. The CCTV isn't showing signs of _any_ movement." The guard finished and returned to the rest of their co-workers, leaving Eren to stare at the pixels on the screen, confused and conflicted. 

'This isn't right...' Eren's own voice echoed through his head. The detective quickly looked down at the notes Jean shoved over to him. His emerald pools then scanned over each of the statements in the file he had. All of them seemed fairly short, all backing up the same story. They were all wittinesses to the other's alibi and all the stories lined up perfectly. Running the footage back, Eren paid more attention to the guards on different monitors, and all of them didn't move an inch during the crime. None of them appeared to suddenly see or hear anything, none of them seemed suspicious either. Eren couldn't understand it at all. 

Moving from the comfort of the felt chair on wheels, Eren only nodded with a sigh. 

"Well, the footage sure backs up all of your alibies, and the footage also doesn't catch anything..." For a brief second, Eren wondered if a spirit was possibly behind it all, but he quickly shoved that thought to the back of his head. If that were the case, it would be an even harder crime to solve. Heading back downstairs, followed by the guards, Eren walked back into the golden, enchanting hall, his eyes only lighting up again once he saw Armin on the forensics team. With a beam of a smile, he jogged over to his blonde best friend. 

"Armin!" He greeted the man for the second time that day, feeling his chest drop as Armin looked back at him with bewildered eyes. 

"I know that face..." Eren started, receiving a small nod from his friend. 

"We have a few hairs we can cross reference, but if we don't find any matches we won't find anything." His friend explained, opening his mouth to say something else but stopped as he watched the second detective on the scene approach him. 

"Armin," Jean's voice had a certain lilt to it that Eren had never heard before. Looking at the detective's face, his eyes were shining. It was only as the man got closer when Eren realized he could see Jean's pupils dilating, a very light dust of peach on his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose as he clasped his hands together. 

"So, sure, you guys didn't find much, but it's still something, right?" Jean's voice was soft, hopeful. Armin cracked a small smile to his co-worker. Eren noticed his best friend's demeanor change slightly. Armin had gone from confused and saddened, to shy yet happier. When Eren inspected closer, he saw a tinge of pink on pale cheeks. 

"Well, A-At least someone's optimistic. Uhm- I had- Better...Go." He gave a small chuckle before bowing to the two men in front of him, joining the rest of his team. In an awkward moment of silence, Eren turned to Jean, watching the color fade from his cheeks, his face turning cold and stern, full of hate for the detective as he faced him.

"What?" The first word was snapped out. The green-eyed detective wasn't sure how to address what he had just noticed, instead, opting to shake his head and hold his hands up innocently. 

"And what did you find?" Jean spat, changing the subject, turning his nose up. Under his blazing gaze, Eren gritted his teeth. 

"Nothing yet, but I'll blow this case open if you give me time." His voice held just as much aggression, only for him to look away and sigh before holding his arms up again. 

"For now though...Back to the office? I still need to see your reports on this case." Jean nodded at the suggestion, not saying a word as he turned on his heels. 

"I could drive you back?" Eren offered, only to be ignored, brushed off as Jean walked away. 

Keeping what he had just witnessed as a mental note, he blinked the confusion away, shaking his head as he followed suit, trading the coolness of the bank for the warmness of his car. 


	4. Chapter 4

A shudder ran down Eren's spine as he entered his workplace, the warmth licking up the cold from his ice-kissed skin. A hand ran through his hair as he was let through the guard rail once more. His hair soaked, his skin still prickly from the cold, wet weather outside, he made his way to his office. He made sure to nod to as many spirits as he could discretely. All the souls he saw were ones that he'd grown familiar with over time. Eren never saw them leave the building, and they never changed from their comfortable clothing -Some even wore pajamas.- Because of that, his mind was drawn back to the raven-haired spirit he'd seen that morning. It was still so strange to Eren. Did the spirit know he was dead? Did the spirit just love his job that much? Eren hadn't seen a spirit so devoted to their job before. Death was a time to relax, a time to reflect and observe...

"Hey, Jaeger, I was talking to you." Eren snapped out of his thoughts as he found himself in the elevator yet again, Jean standing beside him. 

"Huh-? Oh...Sorry- What was it?" He asked politely, eyes blinking over to the detective next to him. Ignoring his angered face, Eren listened as the man started again. 

"I asked if you were **sure** you didn't find anything on the security cameras." The older man snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Oh. No, I didn't..." 

"Told you." Jean gave a smug nod before leaving the elevator, leaving Eren to run after him, following him to his desk. 

Eren was happy to be back in his office, the blue sea of felt was a sea he was happy to drown in. The atmosphere the office held was one that Eren adored. There was a friendly, welcoming feel in the air, followed by the tenseness of focus from all the detectives at their respective desks. 

Reaching Jean's desk, Eren pulled a stray chair over, sitting down next to his partner. He watched with interest as Jean pulled up a document filled to the brim with notes. His bright eyes only got a few words in before Jean huffed. 

"I'll email it to you, I don't want you sitting at my desk." Those words were exactly what he expected from the other detective. Ever since they both found each other within the police cadets and police training, they never liked each other much at all. It was almost impossible for them to get along, in fact. Eren took a breath in, only to be cut off by an unknown and unfamiliar voice. 

"You don't need those, you can solve this case on your own." Eren's head snapped forward, seeing that raven-haired spirit from that morning looking at him with narrowed eyes, crossed arms. The spirit was shorter than average, in a crisp, clean uniform that was topped off with a cravat in the place of a tie. Eren's mouth ran dry as steel blue eyes bore into his soul. Pale skin housed perfect cheekbones, a small, pointed nose, tired eyes with bags, and a strong jawline. With a roll of his cat-like eyes, the spirit turned on their heels and started to walk away, causing Eren to shoot up out of his chair and watch. Jean jumped back, wide honey lakes reflected concern as he stared at his co-worker. 

"What the hell-? Eren. Eren?" Jean snapped his fingers before Eren's eyes to try and get the man's attention, but it did little to nothing at all. After a moment of Eren's eyes being fixated forwards, Eren began to mutter under his breath. 

"Uh- Yeah, email it to me, I'll be at my desk in a bit-" With those words uttered, Eren felt his legs carrying him away from Jean's desk, following those raven locks as they turned a corner. 

Weird looks were contagious around the office as Eren stalked forwards, the computer screens he passed faded to blurs of light. Hallways and doorways made the simple building feel more like a labyrinth until the spirit turned into the break room. Opening the door, a sigh of relief left Eren's lips as he realized the room was empty. He gently pulled the door behind him, making sure it clicked closed before addressing the spirit. 

"I saw you this morning, you walked here." Eren started, causing the spirit to raise a brow. The silence only gave Eren more room to speak. 

"We both took the same route...All of the other spirits hardly ever leave this building, why did you walk?" Eren saw steel eyes roll. 

"I say one thing to you, you follow me like a creep and then start asking me questions? I don't have to answer you." The spirit made their answer perfectly clear with a stern tone and chilling look. Protest welling up in his chest, Eren pressed further. 

"But, you're wearing your uniform too! All the others wear their own clothes. How can you blame me for being interested to know when you're so different? Can I at least have your name?" Eren was almost giddy! He was practically bouncing on his toes. 

"Tch." A small noise came from the spirit before he spat a hard 'no' the detective's way. The spirit was about to say something else, but was stopped when another of his kind entered the room. Eren quickly moved out of it's way and bowed in respect. The new ghost that walked in donned a simple attire of a white dress shirt, blue vest, jeans, and knee-high boots. dark blonde hair matched well with their light grey eyes. Those eyes, Eren noticed, were welling up and overflowing with tears. Concern filled both figures in the room. 

"Furlan...What is it? What's wrong?" The raven-haired spirit stepped forward, both ghosts connecting as the shorter of the two reached up and touched the other's shoulder. 

"I-It- It's Isabel-" The distressed spirit started, Eren listened intently. Furlan cast his eyes to their friend, then to Eren, and carried on talking to the both of them. 

"She- Her father- I - " Eren had never seen a ghost break down before. Of course, he knew they had emotions, but he'd never seen what tears look like on translucent faces. He tried his best to give the spirit a comforting look, standing at the other side of the shorter one, making it easier for the trembling ghost to talk to both of them. 

"Alright, I need you to breathe," Eren started, trying his best to get those teary eyes to focus on him. 

"In for four, out for eight. Calm down and then tell us the problem, okay? We'll try and help you the best we can." The detective continued, watching as Furlan nodded and began to take slow breaths. A few soft words of encouragement from the raven-haired spirit followed, Furlan seeming to feel more and more at ease with each breath. The breathing technique was almost hypnotic until finally, his shoulders stopped stuttering upwards, his breathing at last calm and collected at last.

"There we are...Good job...Now, when you're ready, tell us what happened, let us help you." Eren's voice was delicate, his eyes brimming with both pride and worry at the same time. Taking a breath, Furlan started to speak again. 

"I watch over this child...There was a fight between her parents a few days ago and they split up, but..." A voice crack followed his words. The shorter spirit seemed to huff in annoyance, as if knowing exactly what happened already. Eren's eyes flashed between the two of them. 

"Her father, he...He kidnapped her late last night. It took me forever to find them, and when I did, he was...He was going off the rails...I..." Furlan's eyes were still spilling tears. He lifted a hand to wipe those tears away, trying to remain calm. Eren's concern was instantly replaced by fear. A child going missing was something he knew should never be taken lightly, however, he couldn't do anything unless the police were called and a detective or negotiator had to step in. He couldn't make a move, as much as he wanted to. If he were to jump in and help instantly, he would immediately be put under suspicion. There would be no way for him to know what as going on unless he had a tip-off, but even then, he wouldn't have any evidence to support that excuse. 

"Did he hurt her?" The shorter one snapped, showing just as much panic as Eren felt internally. When Furlan nodded, a growl left the raven's throat. All three were snapped out of their conversation when they all heard Eren's name being called. Furlan's eyes darted to Eren instantly. 

"I can't promise anything, as much as I want to help...But, hopefully, the police were called. Hang tight, okay? If nothing comes up, I can try and say that I got an anon tip. Fingers crossed though, that I'm being called for this incident. The captain trusts me and I used to be a negotiator." Eren bowed once again before leaving the room, jogging back to the office to find Erwin standing outside of his office door. 

"It's been a while, but we need you to stand in as a negotiator. It might seem strange stepping back into the position you were promoted from but, we were just called about a kidnapping case and all my other negotiators are busy. Are you able to stand in?" Erwin's words were enough to almost make Eren cry from relief. A gut feeling telling him this was the case he had just heard about. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Furlan and the other spirit had followed him. Looking back to Erwin, Eren gave a nod with confidence. 

"Yes, sir."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I want to give readers a warning here. The content of this chapter has the potential to be unsettling and perhaps even triggering, and I urge you to read on with care.
> 
> Thank you -

With each splinter that fell from the old wooden structure Eren found himself in front of, he could feel each individual hair on his arms stand on their ends. The smoothness of his tan skin was replaced with goosebumps in an instant. The determination to help the young child inside was still running through Eren's veins, but a fear of the situation had started to settle in once the detective realized that the man had taken the child away to an _abandoned_ house. It was the perfect spot for a murder, which was what concerned Eren the most. It was in the middle of nowhere, no witnesses, no need to hide the body unless the killer found it necessary. The house was standing proud yet tired on a tall hill of grass, the dampness of the air and the previous rain made it the perfect soil to dig up if a body needed to be hidden away. The wood was so aged that Eren could see it rotting from a small distance away. That alone would have set alarm bells off in his head if the situation wasn't so frightening. With wood so old, there was no telling how little force it would take for the structure to fall in on itself until the detective was inside. With the place surrounded by his back up squad, Eren took a breath, trying to mentally prepare himself.

Previously being a negotiator, he had to be witness to some of the most inhumane hostage situations. Hostages on the brink of death, captors having a strange obsession with power, various examples of Stockholm Syndrome. Eren had seen almost all there was to offer, he was sure. The screams of all those he failed in the past began to haunt him once again as he took steps closer towards the house. The detective knew he had at least some form of PTSD that only showed its ugly head on a few occasions. Despite being looked up to by his fellow co-workers when he specialized in hostage situations, the amount of blood Eren felt he had on his hands outweighed any praise he received. The worst part about his gift was highlighted back then. Every few weeks when he would try and rest his tired eyes, the spirit of the one who he failed would be at the foot of his bed, asking why he didn't try harder, why he didn't save them like he did others. It was the main reason he was moved over and promoted to be a detective. Trying to shove the past behind him, Eren trudged on, feeling a coolness at both his sides after a few more steps. 

Those spirits from earlier had followed him. 

"You need to save her." A distressed Furlan was quick to add more pressure to Eren's already weighted shoulders. 

"This is going to be a hard situation, but at the end of the day, you need to make a choice. You can either give it your all and take risks, or you can play it safe- But, don't you dare regret the outcome." The raven-haired spirit seemed strangely motivational, giving Eren a small boost of reassurance. With a nod, Eren inhaled sharply, his hand on the cold iron of the door handle before long. Hesitating to move, his mind was hastily thrown back to the briefing Erwin gave him on his journey. Just by Erwin's words, it was clear he had faith in Eren, Eren couldn't forget that. He wouldn't let his captain down.

\- 

The bumps in the road were harsh as the police car sped to its destination, carrying a detective and his boss in a tense silence. 

"The man's name is Nile Doc," Erwin started, drawing Eren to attention and breaking the silence.

"He's on our records for constant past drug abuse, over ten accounts of domestic violence against his wife, and twelve accounts of aggravated assault." As Erwin listed off their criminal's past misadventures, Eren could feel his stomach, churning. A man who wasn't afraid to beat his wife was certainly a man who wasn't afraid to beat his child either, it only made sense that this situation had to be handled with the utmost care. 

"Story has it: Nile and his wife Maria split up after a past full of fights and abuse. The one thing Nile couldn't let go of though, was his child, a ten-year-old girl named Isabel. Nile agreed to leave his wife, but broke into their house late last night and abducted his own daughter. We checked his previous address to see if he would have gone back there, but, obviously, we had no luck. Though, we did manage to track his movements to the place you're about to visit now." Erwin's voice was unnervingly calm. It always was when Erwin was serious. How the blonde could keep so calm and collected under pressure was something that puzzled Eren. Emerald eyes looked up into ocean blue rivers with nothing but respect as Eren took in the information given to him, nodding along to show he was understanding. 

"We don't know how bad the situation is. We also don't know if the daughter is even alive. To keep things easy, we're turning our sirens off as soon as we get closer to the location. You will then open the door slowly, if it's unlocked, and enter the house. Your back up squad will follow you, but they'll wait until you give them a signal to jump into action. Be ready and be careful. We can't avoid scaring him since he doesn't know that we're on our way. But, the last thing we want to do is scare him so much that it puts the child at even more risk. It might be hard, but I'm giving your authorization to kill if absolutely necessary." Eren nodded once again, swallowing, feeling his tongue getting caught on the roof of his quickly drying mouth. 

"I won't let you down, Sir." Eren promised, earning a nod from his superior. 

"I know that in your time as a negotiator, you saw a lot of things you probably don't want to repeat. You probably have a lot of regrets you carry with you. If you can't get the child out safely, I don't want you to blame yourself. We have reason to believe that Nile is as high as a kite currently, and he will probably act irrationally. If that means killing his daughter, we may have to accept failure. But in that case, we move forward and we make up for it by never forgetting our mistakes and avenging that child in the successes of other cases." 

Those words touched Eren deeply. With a nod, he agreed with his boss. Erwin was always so keen to keep moving forward, he observed, and he decided it would be beneficial to try and adopt the same mentality. 

-

The detective held his breath as he twisted the handle, jumping slightly in surprise when he found the door was unlocked. He figured it was probably, in part, due to the old wood. With a house so aged, a lock in perfect working order wouldn't have made sense. As the door creaked open, he could hear startled shuffling from the second, top floor of the house. 

The house carried a strange pungent smell. Not one of death, but, an ever potent smell nonetheless. The type of smell that clung to fresh lungs and scratched the back of throats. As Eren moved through the house, trying to find the stairs, he could see how aged the inside of the house really was. Appliances in the kitchen were all ran down, stained with the black tint of dirt and the green smears of mold. The skirting boards and tops of appliances were littered with all sorts of fungi and rodent droppings, only adding to the repulsive smell of old rotting wood and the faint hint of class A drugs. The living room followed suit, not living up to its name as dust made itself a home on the carpet and furniture. With spiderwebs clinging to the curtains, Eren felt a chill run under his skin. Sudden movements from rats in shadowy corners had Eren gasping, constantly checking under his feet as not to step on one of them. Exploring the filth, It was a small relief when Eren finally found the stairs leading upwards to where he could still hear shuffling. 

"Nile?" He called gently as he stood at the bottom of the stairs. He heard a soft gasp, followed by the muted shrill of a younger voice. A pang of panic and pain pinched at Eren's chest. The child was still alive and still suffering. This would no doubt stick with the child, he was sure. The child would likely have to go through therapy if she came out of this alive. 

"Nile? My name is Eren. Eren Jaeger, I'm about to come upstairs to you, ok? I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here for your own safety." Eren announced, taking the stairs slowly one creaking step at a time. Eren could feel some of the wood on the steps breaking under his feet, the rumble of dust and splinters falling to the floor as he went. Until finally, he could see what he was working with. 

The first thing he noticed was the child. Eren's stomach churned evermore as he gazed over the young girl's tear-stained cheeks. He could see bruises, cuts, and gashes littered all of the skin that was exposed. Her arms, knees, and shins were all covered with varying colors. Pink pajamas were ripped in certain places, probably from struggling, Eren supposed. Duct tape was wrapped around her wrists, keeping her confined to an old metal chair. The poor child's red hair was a mess, her own forest green eyes still spilling over with tears of terror. Eren then noticed the man standing behind her, covering her mouth with his hand. Dark, short hair and even darker eyes slashed into Eren's soul. The man was tall, dressed in equally tatty clothing. A formerly white dress shirt and darker, stained jeans matched the mess of the area. Somehow, the upstairs was a wide-open space. No rooms, no doors, just a few windows and a few wooden beams of support that were quickly rotting away into nothing. 

"If you come any closer, I swear, I'll-" Nile's hand darted into his back pocket, taking out a knife and holding it to the child's neck. The action earned another muffled yell from the child, her head instantly trying to move back. 

Holding his hands up, Eren tried to keep his frame small, trying to mute his panic. If he was going to defuse the situation, he would need to stay calm. 

"I only want to talk to you, Nile. I just came here to talk, nobody has to get hurt." Eren stood still. With how small the man's irises were and how wide his eyes were, Eren knew the man wasn't in his right mind, just as Erwin had warned previously. Hearing a gasp coming from behind him, he felt a shudder run through him as Furlan shot past, running over to the child in a panic. Almost instantly, Eren noticed that the child could see the ghost, just like he could. Her eyes met Furlan's as soon as the man knelt down before her and started to try and comfort her. 

"It's alright," Eren could hear him. 

"This man is Eren Jaeger, he's a brave detective, he's here to save you, it's okay, you're going to be alright." Eren's shoulders were held down even more by just those words alone. 

Trying his best not to stutter, Eren attempted to gain control of the situation. 

"I need you to put the knife down, Nile. This isn't going to help anyone. I just want to talk to you, that's all. Can you put the knife down for me?" Eren made a point of nodding to the weapon, surprised when Nile slowly took it away from the child's neck. Eren's heart was hammering, hurting his chest with each beat. The man hadn't let go of the knife, but, it was at least a start to get it away from the child. 

"Alright," Eren began calmly, taking a small, careful step forward. 

"Now, can you step away from the child? Isabel needs to breathe, right? Can you meet me in the middle of the room? I'm unarmed, you can trust me," Eren reassured, taking more slow steps, standing in the center of the room. With his hands still showing, he put his hands down to his sides, watching Nile carefully. The rugged man took his time, taking his hand off of his child's mouth and slowly meeting Eren in the middle of the room. 

"You're not taking my daughter away." Nile was quick to state, his eyes still blown wide. Eren swallowed. 

"Is this really the life you want to give your daughter, Nile? If you let me, I can help you. We can get you off of the drugs, we can rehabilitate you, and you could live happily with Isabel eventually. Wouldn't you like that?" Eren asked in a quiet voice, his head tilting, eyes narrowing in sorrow. 

"If you come with me, we can-" 

"I said you're not taking my daughter away!" The roar from the older man drew a shrill yelp from the child, followed by Furlan trying to hush and comfort her even more. 

"We won't be taking your daughter away from you, we'll be helping you-" 

"She's staying here!" Eren could see that Nile was starting to sweat, starting to twitch from the stress. His heart hammered on, the beats hitting his own eardrums. 

This was about possession, Eren noticed. A love of his daughter and a need to protect her was warped into a hostage situation. With the walls practically crumbling around them, the detective knew he had to act fast, but his mind was quickly blanking, submitting to panic after not having to deal with situations like these for a while. Eren had to stop himself from giving in to the feelings of a flashback about to hit him. In his head, he was fast and mindful to remind himself where he was, remind himself of Erwin's words and what he had to do. 

"Nile, this place isn't safe," Eren tried to reason with the man. 

"This place is falling apart, there's mold and rats downstairs, do you want this for your daughter? Is this what you want to provide for her? You can still see your daughter if you just-" 

"No!" Nile took a step backward, the knife still in his grip. Eren instantly flinched, taking a step back in unison. 

"No...You want to take her away- You're going to turn her against me just like **she** did, you're lying to me- YOU'RE LYING TO ME!" Eren could see Nile was very quickly spiraling, the drugs and situation obviously getting too much for him. He watched as Nile began to pace sideways, muttering under his breath incoherently. With Furlan glaring at him, Eren knew he needed to act. His mind was racing. He thought about pinning the man down and then calling for back up to free Isabel, but that presented its own risks. He then thought about trying to take Nile downstairs first, but the detective knew that would be even more of a challenge. Nile's voice was what snapped Eren out of his thoughts of panic. 

"That bitch sent you, didn't she?!" Nile roared yet again, starting to shake. Eren did his best to remain calm. 

"Maria is concerned about you and your daughter. We all want what's best for the both of you, that's why I'm here. You can still do the right thing." Eren explained, holding his hands up again. His words seemed to twist and contort into something else as Nile processed them, a look of anger speedily shaping Nile's features. With only a second to blink, Eren dodged out of the way as Nile lunged for him, knife in hand. 

"Eren! You have to make a choice, now!" The raven-haired spirit called out in distress, eyes darting between Eren and Isabel. A growl was Eren's only warning before he found himself pinned against the rotting wall, Nile's glazed over eyes being the only thing he could focus on. Hesitantly, Eren wrapped his hand around Nile's wrist, feeling the man's grip on his knife as it was held to his neck. Swallowing, Eren still tried to remain calm. The ghost was right, Eren knew it. He had to decide when to call for back up, that was the choice in question. Determined as ever though, Eren wasn't going to give up so easily. There was a glimmer of hope in him that he could still handle the situation and defuse it himself. 

"Nile, I need you to listen to me, we are in front of your child. Do you want her to see you like this? This isn't you." Eren's breathing was rapid, his neck feeling tense as he tried to move back from the coldness of the blade. 

"You can show her that you're a good father, you can show her how much you love her, you don't need to do this." Eren continued, feeling Nile's grip starting to loosen on the weapon. With a deep breath, Eren let go of the man's wrist as it lowered. A calming sensation flooded over him as Nile seemed to be listening finally. 

"Now, let me help y-" Eren was cut off by the man lunging forwards yet again, a searing, burning hot pain taking over his whole body as his eyes saw white suddenly. He couldn't hear the words of the man before him, he couldn't hear the child's scream, but before it faded to black, his final yell had set off a chain reaction. His back up squad racing up the stairs to handle the situation. 

As he slid down the wall, Eren's vision turned blurry, the room spiraling before he had to close his eyes. 


	6. Chapter 6

Eren's eyes twitched with each beep of the machines around him before they opened. White walls, white sheets, and blue chairs awaited his emerald pools as he slowly woke up. His head was pounding along with his heart as panic and dread overtook him suddenly. There was no way of knowing how long he was out for, nor was there any way of knowing what had happened to the child he was trying to protect. As he tried to wrack his aching brain for answers, a deep voice cut off his train of thought. 

"So, he's finally awake, huh?" Eren blinked away the confusion before he registered those freezing, steel eyes staring down at him. Even in the pearly white walls of the hospital room, the spirit's skin seemed unnaturally pale. 

"You...What...What happened? Did I- ?" The ghost raised their hand, taking a seat as Eren sat up. 

"You did great. I wouldn't say almost dying was the best distraction, but once you hit the floor, your back up took over. They were able to rescue the kid before things got any worse. Nile started to freak out when he thought you were dead." As raven hair shifted in the light, Eren huffed and nodded, a sense of accomplishment, pride, and pain mixing together inside his chest. As he tried to shift his weight to adjust himself a sensation of pure white agony overtook his side. Like an ember turning into a flame, the pain only got worse the more he tried to move. The detective gritted his teeth and groaned as he persisted, trying his best to sit comfortably. The more he tried, the more antsy the spirit at his bedside seemed to get. 

"Whoa, Whoa- You don't want to move too much with a wound like that. Do you know how many stitches you have in your side right now? That knife was a pretty big one." Stopping his movements, Eren tried his best to breathe through the pain. His mind, to distract from the ice-cold heat of his injury, decided to change the subject. Brown hair swept to the side as he tilted his head away from the ghost.

"Why are you here? You didn't have to watch over me. Not that I'm not grateful for it, but..." Eren's sentence trailed off, earning a small 'Tch.' from the spirit. 

"Since I was there when you almost got yourself killed, I figured I'd stay with you to make sure you were alright. But, if you want me to leave-" Eren shook his head apologetically, the action breaking the spirit's sarcastic and cold exterior for a moment. With a solid rise and fall of their shoulders, they gave a more sincere explanation to answer the Eren's question. 

"That, and I think I can help you. I've been watching you solve your cases for a while. You're real good at what you do, I just feel like you need a push in the right direction sometimes. Besides, it's not like you're a stranger to getting help from the dead, right?" Eren seemed even more taken back as the ghost carried on talking, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he finally managed to sputter out an answer.

"You've...Been watching me?" The spirit nodded. 

"And **I'm** the creep for trying to talk to you?" The spirit simply scoffed. 

"Yeah..." The figure drew out his answer, a small smirk lining his lips faintly.

"I'm not too great with people- But, you're not just any ordinary person, are you? How long have you been keeping your secret?" At the question, Eren had to pause and think. The detective had stopped counting down the years since he first saw a spirit. Traveling down memory lane was something he often didn't have much time to do, but he would never forget the first time he saw a ghost. He was sure, looking back, that anyone else would send their child to a professional if they said they saw a dead man in their living room, but thankfully, Eren's mother knew better. 

_

A five-year-old sat playing with building blocks on the living room floor, tapping together green and purple cubes before slamming them on the carpet roughly, one on top of the other, creating a very uneven foundation. The corners of the cubes ran asymetrically to each other, a sight that somehow pleased the child as they looked around for their next block. Reaching over, stubby hands clutched at an orange wooden block, picking it up and putting it above the other two blocks with unneeded strength, the wood cried out in pain as their formation was broken from the force. Eyes widened in confusion and amazement as the three-cubed tower fell to the child's feet. 

"No..." The child muttered, grabbing the blocks and trying again, only to stop as a figure knelt down beside them. The figure was a male, tall and tan-skinned with deep, rich, brunette facial hair and glasses. A few wrinkles lined their forehead as their expression stretched into a smile. 

"Try placing this one here," The figure pointed to the green block, tapping a spot on the carpet. Eren followed, grabbing the green block and planting it over the figure's hand. The child was expecting the man to cringe as the block landed directly over their knuckles, but the stranger didn't seem to notice in the slightest. He then pointed to the purple block and instructed Eren to put it down next to the green one, rather than on top. Slowly, a sturdy tower was being built. Each block that Eren placed above the others stood proud in it's place. 

"Good job, Eren!" The figure praised, clapping before gasping as Eren threw a chubby hand through the center of the tower, laughing with manic glee as the blocks tumbled to the floor yet again. It was then, that the child noticed the blocks going through the figure, rather than on top of them. Tilting his head and staring in place, his tiny mind began to deduce that something wasn't quite right, but he just couldn't put his stubby little fingers on it. He was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard praise from his beloved mother.

"Eren, you did such a good job!" From across the room, the child's mother wore a proud smile as she sat in her recliner, watching her son. Eren, even at his young age, noticed instantly that there was a difference between the two people in the room. His mother seemed more...Colorful. Eren couldn't see through her face like he could with the man next to him. His mother's features were more...pronounced. More...Bold. But he couldn't comprehend why. Was it normal? Could his mother see through him? He couldn't tell. 

"Mommmmmy?" He started curiously, dragging out the title while his small hands grabbed at his socked feet. The woman in the chair chuckled, humming and nodding, gesturing for her son to continue. 

"Who's that?" The woman looked to where Eren was pointing, blinking before seeming to come to a realization. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, looking between her son and the man next to him. 

\- 

"Since I was five," Eren answered with a confident nod. 

"I remember my mother told me not to tell anyone that I could see dead people. I never understood why as a child, but, I get it now. Most people find it a little unsettling." Eren finished sheepishly, looking to the spirit for a response. 

"Mh. You know what they say about you in your office, right? They think at least something's up. You can't say things you aren't meant to know and expect people not to question it." Eren nodded defensively. He was about to answer, but stopped as soon as the door swung open. 

"Eren," Erwin's voice had never hit Eren's ears with that much worry before. Looking into Erwin's blue pools, Eren could see just how much panic the older man was feeling. Erwin swiftly took a seat at Eren's bedside, taking Eren's hand. 

"Are you alright? They told me what happened after I left the scene. I can't stay long, but, I came here as soon as I could." Erwin explained, looking over Eren with concern. He checked over his prized detective like a father checking over his son. Any cuts, any bruises, any injuries he could see, he yearned to get rid of. If it were in his power, the captain would waste no time in healing his favorite on the force. While it wasn't the first time Eren had gotten injured, it was the first time he'd been rendered useless in a hospital bed. 

"Sir, I-" 

The spirit quickly interjected, stopping Eren for a moment. 

"I was wondering when captain eyebrows would show up, he's been worried about you for hours. He might not show it, but he sees you as a son. You'd better let him know you're alright." Eren tried not to show too much shock at the spirit's words, letting his eyes tear up only slightly. 

"Sir, I'm fine, I promise. My head hurts a little and I'm sure in a lot of pain but, I'm alright, I'll get through thi-" Eren's face then dropped at a realization, both his heart and pride deflating. 

"You're not going to let me back in the office for a while, are you?" Erwin shook his head instantly in answer, showing sympathy but not regret. 

"I'm giving you two weeks to recuperate. After being stabbed like this, I wouldn't want _anyone_ coming to work straight away. I want you to stay at home for a while and take time for yourself. Once your stitches are out, I'll call you and check up on you. You're the force's best and brightest, I need you in top shape when you come to work." Erwin's voice was stern despite his kind words, leaving Eren to do nothing but accept his new orders. Eren had been sent home for not being in top form several times in the past the his captain could recount. Erwin had to send the detective home for coming to work extremely ill, coming to work with sprained ankles, and even coming to work on the brink of exhaustion. Erwin loved the detective, but the danger the man put himself in just to work concerned the captain to no end. Seeing Eren work so hard on all of his cases over the years had been both a blessing and nightmare to the captain. 

"Yes, Sir." Eren gave in quietly, a small, knowing smile on his face. 

As Erwin stood up, the spirit watched him with a strange fondness in his eyes. There was no way for Eren to know for certain, but it seemed that the spirit held respect for the captain despite the nickname he'd given the man earlier. 

"If you need anything at all, please let me know. I gave you my personal contact number a few months ago, I trust you still have it. I would stay longer, but, there are other things that need my urgent attention. I would pass on your case to someone else while you recover, but, if I didn't give you something to do in your downtime I'm sure your brain would rot. Just **don't push yourself** , Eren." Eren chuckled at the half-truth, thanking the concerned captain again as the man left. Leaving just the detective and the spirit in the room once again. Eren looked to the figure as they spoke. 

"When you get home we'll go over your case. I have information you need." Eren's brows knitted together. He was about to say something, but the pale spirit cut him off. 

"You've just woken up, let's give you at least _some_ time off before you throw yourself into your work." 

Eren huffed as he rolled his eyes, giving in with a nod. He could feel himself already getting drowsy again. Either from his wound or from the energy it took him just to breathe, Eren felt himself slowly driting off, his eyes fluttering closed after a few moments of listening to the monitors around him beep a steady tune. 


	7. Chapter 7

A metal crutch was the first thing through Eren's front door as he winced. After almost a week being surrounded by disinfectant and pure white walls, the detective was more than glad to be home. With his new companion behind him, Eren closed the door, leaning against a wall for a moment to catch his breath. 

"Are you alright? You didn't pull the stitches out or anything?" The raven checked, nodding as Eren shook his head. 

"No, I just- Gotta make it- To the kitchen." Eren panted, closing his eyes to ground himself. 

Eren's house was small, to say the least. Short staircases and crammed rooms made up the detective's safe haven. As much as he loved his job, his wages denied him of a more lavish and expensive lifestyle. Though, Eren had very quickly grown accustomed to cheap coffee pods and constant deals at the smaller supermarkets that filled his cupboards. Still leaning against the wall, he shuffled his weight as he caught his breath, leaving the spirit to look around the hall. 

A muted dark green painted the walls of the hall, making the small passage seem darker and longer than it really was. Screwed into one of the walls, were a few hooks on which old coats and scarfs hung happily. Below them, was a long wooden rack filled with shoes and slippers. The carpet masking the floor and stairs wore dull brown wool, making the whole hall crammed and tight for space, but somehow still homely. 

Finally catching his breath, Eren made a move for the stairs, grabbing the banister with one hand while his knuckles on the handle of the crutch turned white. Each step was punctuated with hisses and whines of pain, before finally, he reached the top, turning in to a modest kitchen. The raven-haired spirit took their time looking around. Varnished wooden flooring matched with the oak brown cupboards and black polished counters that made up the room. It was surprisingly organized for such a small space. As Eren pushed his body down into one of the dull wooden chairs at his kitchen table, the spirit joined him, sitting on the other side. 

"You can rest, you know. You're still injured, you don't have to push yoursel-" The raven was cut off by a demanding tone. 

"The captain trusts me with this case. I need to get it finished quickly. Injured or not, I have a reputation to keep up." The tone in Eren's voice changed from serious to cocky by the end of his explanation, causing the spirit to roll their iced over eyes. 

"Don't be a brat." He scoffed, before folding his arms over each other and leaning forward as Eren opened a drawer under the table, taking out a sleek, black, laptop. 

"I should probably email Jean, get up to date. He probably hasn't solved the case on his own." The detective noted more so to himself as he tapped in his password, waiting for the laptop to unlock before he could jump straight into his emails. The inbox of the detective, like himself, was surprisingly organized. It took him a short while of humming and muttering to himself before he finally found what he was looking for. The spirit waited until the email was typed up to start talking again. Clicks and clacks echoed around the room until he was finished.

_ 'From: Eren.Jaeger@TokyoMetropolitanPolice.com _

_ To: Jean.Kirstein@TokyoMetropolitanPolice.com _

_Subject: Bank Robbery Case _

_Hey Horse-Face,_

_Captain's still got me on our case, so, can you send me any updates that you've got?_

_How far along are you with the case and what have I missed? The sooner we solve this case, the sooner we can stop working together._

_Many thanks, Eren.'_

No sooner did Eren send the email out, he was wheezing as he stood up again, staggering over to his treasured coffee machine. As he reached for a clean and fresh coffee pod, he turned his attention to the spirit. 

"So, that information?" He asked expectantly in a cheery tone, flicking the coffee machine on. The spirit sighed and nodded. 

"Don't you want to go over what we know first? That might be a good place to start." The ghost's tone was nothing short of fed-up, eyes narrowed at Eren before they spoke again. Eren nodded and listened, leaning against the counter as the coffee machine quietly churned away to itself. 

"So, a bank is robbed, money is stolen, but there's no signs of a break-in," The spirit started; Eren nodded along. 

"The guards don't seem to know anything about it, the CCTV didn't pick anything up, and the culprits got away scot-free," Eren added, watching as the spirit's eyebrow arched upwards. With a click of their tongue, they sat back in their chair with a strange aura of confidence oozing from them. 

"Let me see the CCTV." It was a demand, not a question, one that Eren had to take a moment to process before answering. 

"Uh-" He quickly took his fresh cup of coffee away from the machine and gently sat himself back down at the table, ready to ask for the CCTV footage to be sent to him. Though, he couldn't help but find it strange that the ghost wanted to see the footage for himself. They had already covered that nothing of use was captured on it. 

"Sure but, uh, can I ask why?" Eren's brow arched as well, confusion contorting his face as he sent another email to his partner, making the request. The spirit seemed bold in their words, their eyes glossing over with power and concentration as they spoke. 

"The guards are lying. No alarms went off, nothing was caught on CCTV- The guards are in on it. The CCTV probably didn't pick anything up because it was looped. The guards shut the alarms off and looped the cameras before the thieves got to the bank. That would also explain why there aren't any signs of a break-in. They were let in willingly." The spirit glanced over to Eren, who's eyes seemed dumbfounded and amazed at the deduction. 

"What's more, I want to see the guard's personal bank account statements from the night of the break-in. The only thing the guards would put their job on the line for is a pay raise. There's nothing else a security guard of a bank would want. These robberies aren't committed by anyone who works at the banks, otherwise, there wouldn't be a string of crimes, so the guards can't be bribed with a promotion. It only makes sense that they would be swayed by more money. The guards know exactly who did it and they're in on the whole thing. Now we just need to figure out where the thieves will hit next, and who owns the bank account the guards are getting paid from." The spirit finished, just in time to hear Eren send off another email. 

"That..." Eren was lost for words, blinking as his brain short-circuited. A faint buzz of electric wires burning and fizzling out could have vibrated his ears. 

"That was amazing! I would have never thought of that...I knew something was up but, I wouldn't think it was **that**." The spirit didn't seem bothered by the detective's praise. Instead, they insisted on making more demands. 

"Get up a map and mark the banks that have already been hit. We can use that to figure out which bank is more likely to be hit next. Then we can set up stakeouts and catch them in the act." Eren only nodded more, opening up a new tab and doing as instructed, marking the banks that had already been hit in the city. The raven rose from his chair, moving to look over Eren's shoulder. 

"The first bank and the second bank are about half an hour apart, the next one is only twenty minutes away. They're hitting the ones that are closest to each other." Eren stated, getting a hum of approval from the ghost. 

"And that means," The spirit added on. 

"That the next bank they'll hit is-" The thought was cut off by a noise from the laptop, signaling Eren had gotten a response. 

_' From: Jean.Kirstein@TokyoMetropolitanPolice.com_

_ To: Eren.Jaeger@TokyoMetropolitanPolice.com _

_ Subject: Bank Robbery Case _

_Jaeger,_

_Even out of the office, you always gotta be a pain in my ass, huh? Dont know why youd want the CCTV, but, sure. Go knock yourself out. Ill have the statements sent to you tomorrow, Ive just made the request._

_captain says you should be resting, cant say I blame him. Apparently you got stabbed pretty bad._

_\- Jean._

_CCTV_NVR_04/18/20_34567 '_

Eren rolled his eyes at the email and opened the link, watching as the footage loaded up on his computer. 

The CCTV was black and white instead of brown, not too fuzzy but not too clear either. The screen was split into four. One camera covering a hall, another camera covering the volts, the other two covered different floors of the building. The detective waited a while, his eyes scanning for anything he'd missed, but his emerald gems didn't pick up anything new. He drew in a sharp breath but stopped as a transparent hand moved over his shoulder. Eren shuddered at the coldness of the spirit, his teeth clenching as he tried his best to focus. 

"You see that?" The spirit asked, pointing to the corner of the screen. 

The camera was looking over a hall. The light from the window made the camera's poor quality take center stage as Eren squinted to see what his new companion was pointing at. 

"Wh-? No, I-" 

"Look." The spirit ordered firmly, attempting to tap the screen. It was then, that Eren saw it. A bird flying past the window from the outside never made it past the middle point of the glass. Every time the shadow of the bird got to the halfway point of the glass, it's shadow would move back to the right. That small detail was proof enough to Eren that the cameras were in fact looped. He mentally kicked himself for not realizing it sooner, scolding himself for missing such a small crucial detail. 

"Now, go back to the map." The spirit instructed. Eren didn't waste any time, clicking out of one tab and into the other with haste. 

"The closest bank to the one that got hit is another hour away, just southeast of the last one. It's likely they'll go for that one next. Which means we need to have a stakeout there if we want to catch them," The spirit then paused, moving back to its seat. 

"Though, we might want to set up stakeouts outside other banks nearby. Just in case." Eren nodded swiftly, his fingers twitching to type up another email to his co-worker. 'Finally, a break-through to end the case.' The detective mused to himself, figuring that the spirit before him must have been a detective when they were alive- A very good one at that. Sending off the email, Eren moved his laptop to the side to better look at the stranger opposite him.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but, you were a detective when you were alive, weren't you? You worked in the C.I.D department like I do." Eren tried to phrase his words as gently as possible. Most spirits that spoke to him were open, but he understood that life and death could be a touchy subject for others. His question earned a nod from the spirit, a far-off look overtaking their eyes. 

"Mh. I was a Superintendent." They gave a short answer. Eren's eyes widened evermore as he gasped. 

"Whoa! You outrank me, no wonder you're so good at detective work-" 

"I was doing it for years, kiddo. That's how I know Erwin...I check up on him from time to time." The ghost's mood seemed to change, his features looking more melancholy and distant than anything else. Eren instantly tried to lift their mood. 

"I'm sure he remembers you...The captain never forgets a face. He always goes on about respecting those before us. I'm sure he hasn't forgotten you...Uhm..." Eren stammered as he searched for a name. Realizing what the silence was for, the spirit decided to humor the detective. After so long of keeping his name from the man, he decided it would be easier for the both of them if he eased up on his cold exterior. Considering Eren was the first person in a while to be able to talk to him, the nameless figure supposed it was only fair to share his name. 

"Levi. Detective Superintendent Levi R. Ackerman." 


	8. Chapter 8

Choppy, iced wind thawed at Eren's tan skin as he braved the gale that was shoving him back. The wind screaming around the streets was almost deafening as Eren trudged on. Thanks to Levi's help, he had figured out the most likely day that the hit on the bank would fall on. Thus, a misty and breezy Wednesday had drawn the detective from his home. Despite the older, former detective's advice, Eren decided he wasn't going to miss the case he was so invested in being solved finally. As he limped and winced through the pain, his eyes morphed into slits as he got closer and closer to the bank. With wind stinging his eyes, Eren looked over each car he passed, searching for the car he knew as his partner's. Jean always opted for more boxed off looking cars when he went undercover, and Eren knew better than to assume this case would be any different. As his crutch clicked against the sidewalk below him, he paused as he finally found what he was looking for: A scratched up, boxy, out of date grey car. Taking confident steps, he raised a gloved hand to knock on the passenger side window, smirking in mockery as he watched his partner practically jump right out of his seat. Hearing the hissing and grumbling from outside, Eren waited until the car door was unlocked with a deep clacking sound, carefully ducking down to take a seat in the car, pulling the door closed behind him. 

"You're meant to be at home." Jean growled, narrowing his honey eyes at Eren. Levi, sitting in the backseat, couldn't help but find he agreed with the man. His efforts of trying to steer Eren away from joining the stakeout proved fruitless the moment Eren snatched his winter coat from one of his clothing hooks. 

"Yeah," Eren started, tapping his crutch playfully. 

"But, captain never said I couldn't do fieldwork, did he? He told me to take time for myself, and I have. " He pointed out with a purr, drawing a huff and roll of the eyes from Jean. The two sat in silence for a moment. watching the banks' doors up ahead. Nameless faces and wind knocked figures walked past the tall black doors, but no one tried to enter the closed establishment. With yet another sigh, Jean turned to Eren once again. There was something evidently on his mind with each tense of his shoulders. 

"So," He started, crossing his arms over his chest tightly. 

"How did you manage to figure all this out anyway? We both looked at the CCTV, there was nothing there the first time around." Jean seemed interested despite the clear irritation his aura leaked. Eren had expected the question, leading him to practise an answer that wouldn't make him seem too suspicious before he left for the winter streets. 

"Let's just say, the time I _did_ take off work gave me some clarity. I thought I'd check the CCTV cameras one more time just to make sure, and then I noticed the shadows glitching. There's a tiny bird in the footage that never makes it all the way passed a window." The detective explained, noticing confusion fall on his partner's face. 

"Alright, so, where do the bank statements come into that? How did you know what bank they would hit next? And the day they would hit? You think you're so smart, Jaeger, but I bet you had help. I swear, sometimes it's like the answers just fall in your lap. How can I be sure **you** haven't organized this?" At the insinuation, Eren feigned offense. He held his hand to his chest before gently leaning over to the side, fishing his phone from his pocket. He slid off his gloves before tapping on his phone screen repeatedly as he explained. 

"First of all, I looked for patterns. As much as it _pains_ me to say: I'm not some criminal who's set all this up under the C.I.D's nose." Jean simply scoffed at Eren's sarcasm, not convinced but not energized enough to see that arguement through to the end. Despite that, it didn't stop the detective from making a mental note. 

"Secondly, the guards obviously looped the CCTV to hide the crime because they were in on it. We know it's not an inside job since there's been a string of robberies at different banks, so, all the guards must be being bribed with something. The two things guards of any place could be swayed by would be a promotion or more money. If it were an inside job, there would only be one bank being hit and the guards would have been promoted, but since that's not the case, it's safe to assume that they've been bribed with a pay raise," Eren explained, glancing over to Jean every now and again as he repeated Levi's deductions, making sure he was listening. 

"I knew If I were right, we would find suspicious activity in each of their bank statements, and what do you know, I was spot-on." Eren announced proudly, turning his phone, showing his partner a picture of each bank statement put side by side, the same name popping up in each. With a hiss, Jean snatched the phone from the fellow detective, squinting at the screen. 

"A. Leonhart?" He read the repeated name aloud, making a note of the generous amount of money that particular name spilled into all three bank accounts. He eventually passed the phone back to Eren, his gaze returning to the doors of the bank. 

"Yup! No idea who they are yet, but, I'm sure we'll find out tonight-" Jean was quick to cut him off, turning his attention to him while Eren watched the doors in turn. 

"More like **I'll** find out tonight. You're not setting foot in that bank while you're injured. You already made it this far when you weren't supposed to." Jean ordered, scowling at the other before his patience wore thin. 

"When are they gonna show up anyway? I've been here for an hour and a half now." The detective complained, screwing his eyes closed, head thrown back in exasperation. Taking a sharp breath in, Eren calmly nodded to the door, watching as three figured clad in black finally entered the bank when the street was empty enough. 

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd say right about now, Jean." Eren said softly, sarcasm painting his words yet again. Jean's head snapped forwards just in time to see the bank doors twitch shut. With his hands flying to the handle of the door, he turned to the other detective, spitting venomously. His pointer finger shoved in Eren's face as he barked another order at the detective. 

"You're staying in this car. I already have to drive your ass back to the captain so he can remind you what staying at home means, I don't need you and your crutch getting in my way. **Don't.** **Move**. **A fucking. Inch.** " Jean threw the car door open, sending a jolt down Eren's back as the metal slammed closed again, though, Eren noticed Jean didn't lock the car in his haste. His shoulders slumped as he sighed, watching his partner give chase to the criminals. From the backseat, Levi's voice cut through the haze of dust Eren was surrounded by. 

"Are you going to let him take credit for your work?" The ghost asked, causing Eren to scoff in reply. 

"And you're going to let me do the same thing?" The question earned an eye roll. 

"You can't exactly give the credit to me, _I'm dead._ I know you can see me, but, remember, others can't." Levi stated bluntly before nodding to the glovebox. 

"Look in his glovebox, see if there's anything you can use as a weapon if your crutch gets taken away. You can't just sit here, you know he'll take all the credit." The order was complied with by fast hands flicking open the compartment, diving into papers and other strange boxes. The small space held a lot of secrets, Eren discovered. From old papers to used razors. He didn't get distracted until something glossy caught his attention. 

"What's..." The detective muttered to himself in confusion as he took the mystery item out, unrolling the glossy paper to reveal the largest secret of them all. A cackle threatened to escape Eren's throat as he realized what he had discovered. The glossy paper was a magazine, but not one he was used to seeing. Instead of seeing a celebrity or an oversexualized female model on the front cover, Eren was met with a shirtless male model, giving the camera a seductive look while the light from the set sculpted his face. His airbrushed abs and tight boxers told Eren everything he needed to know, the detective didn't even need to set his eyes on the orange logo on the top right. Unable to hold back, Eren's eyes teared up as he threw his head back falling into a fit of hysterics. 

"He-He reads this shit?! I- I knew it! **I knew it!** " Eren almost choked on his laughter as his mind was cast back to what he had seen at the previous bank around a week ago. The dust of pink on pale cheeks, the dramatic change of demeanor around Armin, the defensive expression he was shadowed with as the blonde walked away- It all made sense! It seemed Eren wasn't the only one with a secret. Rather than trying to be discrete, Eren placed the magazine on the driver's seat, wiping tears away from his eyes as his hands dove back into the glovebox, rustling around old papers and other belongings until finally, he found something promising. Clutching a large mystery object, Eren brought it out into the street light's gaze, revealing it to be a flashlight. A large, chunky flashlight with seemingly new batteries put in. Holding the object up, Levi hummed in approval. 

"That should do it. Go and guard the front entrance. If they try and escape from your partner, you'll be able to trip them up with your crutch. Use the flashlight if things get out of hand." Levi offered his advice, watching as Eren slowly got out of the car, closing the door behind him before scurrying up to the bank. He gently pried the doors open just enough to squeeze himself in, trying his best not to make too much noise. 

The bank floor was dark, as Eren expected, but he could make out a large pillar in front of him. Steadying his breathing, he took light steps to the pillar, concealing himself in front of it as he focused to try and hear any signs of life. From a distance, he could vaguely make out the grunts and roars of his partner, but he knew better than to assume Jean needed help. Of all the detectives on the force, Jean was one of the strongest. It was something Eren couldn't help but look up to. Despite the man not being the sharpest tool in the toolbox, he was certainly one of the strongest. The detective felt sorrow for whoever was on the other end of his partner's fists, though that abruptly stopped as he heard faint footsteps drawing closer. 

"Stand clear, you have one coming your way." Levi warned, whispering more so out of habit than necessity. Eren nodded, gripping his crutch with white knuckles. Waiting for the echoes to get louder seemed to take hours, but soon enough the pitter-patter of rapid steps was accompanied by panicked breathing. 

"Almost there..." Levi sounded calculating as he warned Eren again, watching as the figure in the shadows sped ever closer. The wait was agonizing, until, finally. 

"Now!" The bark of the order was followed swiftly by Eren throwing out his crutch, catching the criminal's feet, sending them toppling to the floor. He quickly kneeled onto the stranger's back, pinning the figure down. 

"T.M.P, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in court, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill." Eren spilled out the same lines he'd said so many times before, his mouth moving on autopilot before he heard shuffling. Turning the flashlight on, he illuminated Jean dragging two other culprits along in handcuffs. 

" **JAEGER**!" Jean roared, panting. The echo of his anger had Eren's hairs standing on ends, spikes rippling under his skin. 

"The hell did I tell you?!" Eren only huffed in reply. 

"I caught the one you missed, didn't I? Jeez! Just be grateful I was even here!" He threw back, getting off of the stranger and pulling them to their feet. He let Jean take the lead. The three criminals seemed to band together, accepting defeat as they were led to Jean's old car. Eren was about to follow them out the door, but something from the corner of his eye caused him to turn. Shining the light on the wall, the sight before him had him frozen in place. His eyes were wide as disks as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. 

"Levi..." Eren muttered. The ghost seemed to be in just as much shock, not giving an answer aside from a gasp.

Thick, black paint dripped down the wall, shining in the light as it moved. It seemed to be spray paint as Eren looked closer, confusion speaking for most of his emotions as he tried to commit the image to memory. On top of the white wall of the bank, a huge cross-hatch pattern made itself at home, marking the wall as it's territory. 

"Eren, what are you... _Oohh shit_..." Jean's voice cut through the silence as the detective came back for his partner, only to stop as well in awe. With one look, the three detectives in the hall suddenly felt a heavy weight on their shoulders. This was more than just a few bank robberies. 


	9. Chapter 9

The stitches burned with each staggered step as Eren was dragged up a flight of stairs. His elbow in a vice-like grip as Jean stomped his way to their captain's office. Spirits and coworkers alike all turned their attention to the pair as soon as the duo passed them, but no one would dare interfere. With each hiss and stammered protest, Jean kept shaking his head, baring his teeth and carrying on, pulling the whimpering detective along with him at a brutal pace. 

"Ow- Jean-! God- Let go of me!" Eren tried his best to whine his way out of his partner's grip, but it was all in vain. 

"Nope." The brisk walk continued on until Jean finally reached his destination. Raising his fist, he knocked three times on the heavy wooden door, keeping his grip on Eren until Erwin gave him permission to enter. When those magical words of entry finally came, Jean wasted no time in dragging Eren into the room, forcing him down into the felt seat opposite Erwin's desk. Hearing the scuffle, Erwin turned from his office window view, taking a single look at Eren and deducing what had happened instantly. Jean stood at attention, bowing as Erwin's eyes drifted to him. A soft huff escaped the tired captain as he sat down, waving Jean away. 

"Leave us, detective." Jean bowed once again, taking a moment to narrow his golden eyes at Eren and scoff, a sly smirk on his features. His voice, despite being made of velvet, hit Eren's ears like nails being dragged down a chalkboard. Eren could tell Jean was getting a kick out of knowing the detective was about to be scolded. He knew he shouldn't have expected any less, but the irritation was still slowly nibbling at his nerve endings. The best he could do was glare up at the other as he stalked towards the door. Jean turned to the door and opened it, letting the creak of the old wood rattle against Eren's ears before he closed the door, leaving just a detective and his captain alone. A call of 'Sir,' floated around the room after he left, a silence swiftly taking over afterwards. 

A coldness was the next thing Eren felt. A coldness at his shoulder from his new companion. What should have been comforting, instead set off the sparks of second-hand embarrassment, his lecture was going to have an audience. Great. The usually calm and warm atmosphere in the room shifted to a more serious one, his airways being suffocated by the tension.

"Sir-" Eren tried, only to be halted by Erwin raising his hand. Eren felt an itching need to explain himself, a compulsion to implore Erwin to look at things from a different angle. The tips of his shoes dug into the carpet as Erwin leaned down to one of his desk drawers, pulling out a series of pale yellow files, setting them on the desk. He opened them with nimble fingers, pulling out what looked to be photographs. The captain was taking his time, making the detective wait for the inevitable. A cruel torture as such wasn't below Erwin, Eren was wrong to think it wasn't predicatable behaviour. 

"Captain, Sir-" Eren tried again, getting icy blue daggers shot at him. With a heavy eyebrow raised and his head tilted, Erwin's eyes alone dared Eren to try and have the last word again. It was a warning the detective heeded as his mouth twitched shut. With a sigh, Erwin finally started to talk. 

"I don't recall giving you permission to join a stakeout," He started in an unnervingly calm tone, looking back down at the photographs in his possession. After a few beats of silence, Eren jumped at the chance to defend himself finally, springing forwards in his chair. 

"I did some digging when I wasn't working, Sir. I figured everything out, I couldn't stay away when my work was about to pay off." The explanation was short, and obviously not enough for the captain judging by the look on his face. It pained Eren to tell white lies, but he knew he couldn't tell Erwin the truth. The truth of the situation wouldn't make sense to anyone, not even the most understanding of souls. The idea of ghosts and spirits were often discarded and ridiculed by most in the workplace, more so outside of it, so the truth would seem like the largest, most outlandish lie Eren had ever told. The detective was agonizingly aware of that fact. Shuffling in his seat, Eren continued.

"I knew I had to help Jean, I couldn't let my partner go out alone. I knew there must have been more than one culprit, Jean was alone. I know what you told me, Sir, but, there was too much at risk for me to stay home." The white lies were adding up, mixing into grey ones, and clearly, they weren't impressing Erwin in the slightest. 

"Eren," He started, his tone sharp enough to cut through stone. 

"As much as I want to reprimand your actions, I...Can't." Erwin's words were like frore water being thrown over Eren's head. From the corner of his eye, he could see even Levi was surprised, his narrow eyes blown wide, eyebrows raised. The calmness Eren felt flooding his senses hushed the dread running wild through his system. His mind was clear of it's need to defend, his anxiety eased, and his frame relaxed into the sense of security Erwin's confession gave him. 

"You could have been injured, you could have been more of an obstacle for Detective Kirstein had he not been so successful in capturing two of the culprits, but, your findings did help us link your case to a few others. This case might not be as small as we first thought," Erwin handed Eren a few photographs from the files. As emeralds took in the details, Erwin continued explaining. 

"This isn't the first time that we've found strange graffiti on the walls of crime scenes. It seems to be the same paint, so it's safe to assume this is a gang-related string of crimes. It's possible that it could be a kind of messaging system between crime scenes. The pattern you found matched with other scenes of a similar nature. The cross-hatching seems to be left when the culprits know they're going to be caught." Erwin explained, leaving Eren in awe. Even in the photographs, Eren could see a similar color and consistency of the paint used. The photographs showed an array of different signs. Some matched the cross-hatching he'd seen, others displayed completely different markings, rushed drawings of strange symbols Eren had never seen before. The mystery those painted signs spoke of, and the new information they gave filled Eren with even more determination to solve the case. Despite being injured, he was practically ready to jump out of his seat and race to his desk. Though, he was snapped out of his inspired trance when Levi muttered to himself and took his hand off of Eren's shoulder. He wasn't quick enough to catch the mumbled words, too caught up in the new discovery to hear them clearly. From the corner of his eye, Eren could see Levi was troubled. With one hand under his chin and the other moved to his hip, Levi squinted down at the floor, clearly deep in thought. 

"As for you," Eren shot to attention, eyes snapping back to Erwin as he gave back the photographs. His anxiety crawled back into his system, his mind nagging him to remember he still wasn't in the clear. With apprehension and fear gnawing at his mind, he raised a brow and waited for Erwin to speak again. 

"Sir?" Eren held a distaste for the way regret seemed to be pulling on Erwin's features, his frame twitching to defend himself yet again. 

"Like many times before, you put yourself in harm's way to solve a case. As much as I appreciate and admire your work ethic and the lengths you will go to, I can't have you compromising your safety when you're so useful to us in one piece. Therefore, I'm giving you a temporary suspension." Eren's heart sank instantly, his eyes wide and stinging with tears at the single word. He slowly started shaking his head, his hair bouncing off of his forehead faster as those words fully processed. 

"N-No, Sir, please- I- You don't have to do that, I-" Thrown into a panic, anxiety sparked to a flame in the pit of Eren's stomach like a lighter, his eyelids twitching rather than blinking. No matter how many stammered pleas left his mouth, Erwin's expression didn't change from being concerned but stern. With his heart cracking into fractals, he almost didn't hear Levi's voice. 

"Eren," The spirit started in a calm yet firm voice. 

"You can't plead with him, you know he's already made up his mind. The best thing to do, is take the punishment, kid." He tried his best to reassure Eren that everything would be alright, but the detective was still too far into a mental frenzy to take his assurances in. Holding his hand out, Erwin didn't help the situation in the slightest.

"I'm giving you a week from now to rest, recover, and stay away from work. I don't want to do this just as much as you don't _want_ me to, but this is for your own good, Eren...Your badge, please." Erwin gazed at Eren with regretful eyes expectantly, watching as Eren took a moment to breathe before standing, taking his badge out of his pocket. His emerald pools couldn't bare to see the pain of his pride and joy being handed in, they instead stared below them at the wooden desk, taking in all the intricacies of the wooden structure in a weak attempt to calm down. 

"Thank you..." Erwin's voice held a sad tone, his heart sinking almost as deep as Eren's. With his head down, he listened as Eren bowed before him and left the office, closing the door behind him gently. 

The limp of shame Eren took as he walked out of the station didn't help his broken heart. His eyes were watery, his shoulders slumped over and defeated. So lost in his own sadness he almost didn't feel the cold. The chilly breeze as he walked pinched and poked at his skin, seeming to try and cheer him up by impishly pestering him with gusts of wind. His coat was knocked up in the air, his hair all out of place, but his emotions were still sinking further into the quicksand that was depression. Levi all the while didn't try and speak, instead opting to watch as Eren counted the pavement slabs under his feet, trying (and failing) to distract himself. It was a while before the duo reached Eren's front door, both unphased by the sudden warmth that hugged them and welcomed them home. With a huff, Eren began unwrapping himself from his winter-ready exterior, hanging up his coat before peeling off his gloves. 

"Oi, Eren," Levi started, his voice gentle. He earned a hum of acknowledgment from the deflated detective. 

"Maybe have an early night, huh? We can figure out what to do in the morning. It's late enough as it is. Besides, you cracked a case open, right? Focus on the small victories." His words of advice didn't seem to go far, a nod was all he was given along with another huff. With cautious eyes, he followed as Eren limped up the stairs to his room, not bothering to get changed before he buried himself under his covers. 

The pain and heartbreak Eren was feeling wasn't unknown to Levi. It was instead met with recognition as Levi took a seat in the corner of the detective's room, gazing over the heap of a blanket before the rise and fall of it slowed down, a soft snore echoing off the walls. Once he was sure Eren was asleep, he got up, taking a moment to look around the room. Despite the clothing scattered around and old energy drink cans littered on the floor, the room was surprisingly clean. Pastel colours painted the small room, along with a few coffee stains on a few sheets. Kneeling next to Eren, Levi sighed and placed a hand on the sleeping figure's shoulder yet again. 

"Tch, brat..." Levi laughed to himself quietly, his mind recounting what he'd witnessed. Eren had caught his eye because of the very thing that got him suspended. The detective had such a drive, such a passion and such a skill for his line of work, it must have been fate that led him to his job. Levi felt a soft smile shape his lips as he took in Eren's sleeping features. It was the first time the spirit had seen Eren relaxed in his own bed. 

"I used to be like you..." He trailed off, his hand moving to swipe a strand of hair out of Eren's face. He had forgotten for a moment that he couldn't touch the other, so lost in his own thoughts. For once though, the irritation of not being able to physically interact with the world around him didn't bother him. He instead carried on talking, watching Eren's resting figure. 

"Rushing into danger, getting told off by Erwin, I swear, I was in the old man's office damn near once a week." He chuckled yet again. 

"But...You are doing the right thing. I get it, you want to throw yourself into your work and give yourself something to do, but this is for the best." Levi admitted, taking in how Eren's tan skin would reflect light coming in through his window, the way Eren's shoulders and chest would rise and fall. Seeing the ever hard-working detective finally rest made Levi wish he were alive again.

"You know...I'm glad I've been here with you recently. It's not been long but, for once I think I've found someone that I can relate to...It's been," Levi paused, trying to think of the right words. 

"Fun...To solve cases with you so far." Levi couldn't believe his own words. One simple admission caused a ripple effect of emotions through him. 

"Whatever choices you make, from here on out I'll be here to make sure you don't regret them. Always." 

A white light blinded Levi without warning after those words were spoken, his eyes squinting to see what was going on around him. He felt a pull towards Eren's frame suddenly, a strong desire to protect and aid the younger detective in all his adventures. Levi was overtaken by a powerful resentment of leaving Eren's side. A whole range of emotions suffocated the startled ghost despite the fact he didn't need to breathe anymore. He could feel his dead lungs being drowned with an urge to defend and fight for the detective in front of him. The white light kept blaring as the room began to spin. The older detective was never one to panic, alive or dead, but as the white light continued to beat down on his eyes, Levi couldn't help but try to pull himself away from Eren in dismay. His thoughts muddled, his emotions dancing a complex tango, he was about to yell when suddenly, the light vanished.

Levi fell back, his attempts to break away from Eren were abruptly successful as the room returned to normal. Deep in his chest, he could still feel that pull faintly...It was then that he'd realized what he'd done. A spirit binding themselves to a human was supposed to be a difficult thing from his understanding, but all it took for Levi was a few small words, a promise with intention. 

He was bound to the detective, for better or worse. 


	10. Chapter 10

A groan vibrated under the pile of sheets the former detective had thoughtlessly hidden himself away under the night before. The mounds of cloth rippled and raised in several places before the brunette's head was finally off of his pillow and out from the covers. The news of the previous night hadn't gotten any easier to stomach as Eren sat up, his feet sweeping over the side of the bed slowly to plant themselves on the cold wooden flooring. With his hair, heart, and mind a mess, Eren let out another pitiful groan as he stood and stretched out all the kinks in his muscles he'd slept with. His body moved on autopilot as he left to go to the bathroom, his brain blank as he creaked open the door.

White light from the frosted glass of the window would usually blind Eren's tired eyes, causing him to look away or squint, but this time, Eren let the light blind him. He welcomed the stinging, burning sensation of his sight being taken away temporarily as some form of punishment he felt deserved. Turning to his mirror, his hand reached for his toothbrush while he looked into his reflection, coming face to face with the man he was the yesterday. A detective no more as he blinked into his own, miserable, Emerald gems. Eren's tanned skin captured light horridly as he turned his head to the side, inspecting his cheeks and chin. The glow his skin normally had was gone, replaced with the dulled grey stain of regret he was still carrying. Despite his rather long sleep, Eren could see faint bags under his eyes, his features seeming to have swelled slightly over night. His hand reached the plastic handle of his toothbrush, only to let it go as he took a step back. 

"What's the point?" It was less of a question and more of a statement to himself, giving himself one final look over in disgust before he left, heading down to his kitchen for his usual coffee. 

The beige of his kitchen usually cheered him up on rough mornings, but the pleasant hues did nothing for his mood. Focused on himself, he didn't realize the dead detective sitting at his table. Not a word was spoken on either end as Eren reached up into his cupboard to get a coffee pod, swiping a layer of dust off of his coffee machine before switching it on, picking any old cup to fill with the drink he hoped would make him feel better. Rather than feeling like the atmosphere in the room was as depressed and saddened as he was, it felt more like he was being followed around by a dark storm cloud, raining acidic humiliation down on him, washing away his pride one searing raindrop at a time. 

Turning, Eren finally noticed Levi had been staring at him ever since he'd first walked in, staying silent. With a slump of his shoulders and a sigh, he huffed out his morning greeting. 

"Can I help you?" His hands came to rub at his eyes. He almost didn't hear Levi clear his throat over the coffee machine churning. Eren hoisted himself up to sit on his kitchen counter, his feet hovering just above the floor. 

"Eren..." Levi started in a calm tone, standing up to make his way over to the ball of disappointment the brunette was. 

"I know how this feels. I had this happen to me multiple times, but this isn't the end of the line. Erwin hasn't taken your badge away forever. When this week is over, you're going to get your badge back and everything is going to be back to normal before you know it. You just need to take time to heal." Levi was stern, but comfort and reassurance leaked from each word he spoke. Eren felt a coldness as the spirit placed a hand on his arm. Eren only sighed again, his depression taking the driver's seat. It took a while, but he soon found the words to reply with. 

"Thanks, Levi...I know it will, I just..." The loose ends of the case made Eren anxious deep down, his determination to solve the case manifesting and morphing into an urgent need to solve it, a compulsion to beat the riddle in front of him before someone else did. 

"What if I fail because of this? The captain trusted me with this case because he wanted it solved quickly, if I don't work, someone else will get the job done before I even get the chance to. With the hole that's been blown in this case..." He trailed off. His voice was weak, his eyes teary and vulnerable. Levi cast his eyes down to the floor, not being able to keep eye contact with the ripples of regret and sadness he saw in the pools of the usually so happy detective. Levi shook his head, his mouth forming a thin line before he spoke again. 

"No...Eren, you won't fail. If someone else solves this case, that isn't on you. You were still a part of this case and Erwin will see that. But, considering he has people like Jean on a case like this, I think you still have a fighting chance, don't you?" Levi looked up again gingerly, catching Eren's lips twitch upwards in a small smile. Alarming though, was the butterflies he didn't know he could feel at the sight. Ever since the previous night, the spirit was endlessly checking in on Eren on an hourly basis. It was out of character, he'd noticed, but he also found he couldn't _stop_ worrying once he'd started. That pull he felt towards the man was still there, and ever stronger when they were in the same room. Quickly, Levi backed away from the depressed brunette, pressing himself up against the wall opposite Eren, keeping a safe distance. 

Eren swiped his coffee from the machine once it was finished, placing it down beside him. He then sat still, staring at a spec of dust on his floor. His eyes were vacant, his shoulders feeling the weight of his choice heavily. He was almost drowning the world out before Levi spoke again. 

"Make yourself some breakfast," Levi ordered, not getting a reaction out of Eren. 

"We should look into that code, we can work on cracking that while you..." Levi looked for a reaction out of the disgraced detective, but his heart sank when he found nothing. Eren was still staring at one spot on the floor, his legs starting to swing slightly, his eyes dark and dull. 

"Oi, Eren." He tried again, getting nothing for a moment until Eren let out a breath finally. 

"I'm not hungry." His voice was still weak, his demeanour still deflated. He reluctantly peeled himself off of the counter, taking his usual place at his table. He pulled open his laptop and logged into it, looking to the spirit expectantly. 

Levi then shook his head, letting out a huff of annoyance. Glaring at Eren, he crossed his arms. 

"Change of plan, you need to at least take a walk. Change into something comfortable, we're going out." The demand was followed by a defiant groan. 

"No we're not." Eren countered, his eyes still just as dead. A spirit had never demanded Eren to do anything before, and as far as he was concerned he was going to keep it that way. Giving one last pointed look to Levi, Eren simply ignored his presence, choosing instead of begin going through his emails. 

The distance was comfortable to Levi. The distance was the one thing he felt was normal ever since last night. The white light he'd been surrounded by, the room spinning, the butterflies in his stomach congregating, he'd never experienced any of it before, alive or dead. Despite his discomfort, his care for the depressed detective and his need to protect him ruled over his head, and thus, he closed his eyes and focused, working on grounding himself and clearing his mind. Instinctively, it also meant his connection to the detective was being focused on, knocking those butterflies in his stomach up into the air once again. Levi still had a lot to learn, as evident by last night's event that he was still trying to understand, but there was one thing he had certainly done before, and he knew exactly what he needed to do to snap Eren out of his mood. 

"I don't know what to search," Eren started, eyes still glued to his screen. He hadn't bothered to talk to or even look at the spirit in the room, his brain forcing him to get back to work. 

"Maybe..." His fingers were dancing across his keys, tapping and clacking filling the air, until all of a sudden Eren felt his fingers run stiff. Trying to move them only caused more panic as it dawned on him he'd lost control of his hands. With wide eyes he watched as his right hand was lifted, fingers latching onto the top of his laptop and closing the computer. It was only then, that Eren looked to Levi, who was standing in place, one hand held out before him. Eren's mouth fell open to talk, but the breath he took was swallowed down by a gasp as his legs shot up, forcing him out of his seat. Eren looked down and watched as one foot stepped out from the table, the other following against his will. 

"Levi-" Eren was silenced with a heavy step, followed by another one just as heavy. Looking back up to Levi with fear swimming in his eyes, he squinted as Levi made grabbing motions in the air, drawing Eren's body closer to him. With an irritated growl in his voice, the spirit explained himself. 

"I **said** ," He started, with a threatening tone, his voice stiff. He took note of the detective's fearful features, watching as Eren moved closer one staggered and off balanced step at a time. Yet he had no mercy. Eren wasn't going to fry his brilliant mind while trying to push himself too far, Levi made it his mission to stop the detective from burning himself out. 

"You need to take a walk," He controlled Eren's body still, leading the confused man out of the kitchen and into the hall. As Eren grabbed around for anything to hold on to, the spirit seemed to read his mind, pulling his arms back and down to his sides so he couldn't refuse the spirit's wishes. His feet skidded ever so slightly with each step, his body feeling as if it were going to fall. Though, the determined look in Levi's eyes told Eren he was at least safe enough to not hit the floor skull first. 

"Change into something comfortable," Levi repeated as he pulled Eren's body to the stairs. The carpet under Eren's feet felt even less secure than the flooring of his hall did. He tried his best to keep his balance as he felt his knees bending one after the other. Eren watched as he got further up the small staircase, his soul feeling as if it were being lifted up the stairs with how little control he had of his body. 

"We're. Going. **Out**." The spirit demanded, voice sounding strained as he shoved Eren's body into the bathroom yet again. The door slammed closed behind them both. 

Shooting an arm out, Levi took over Eren's hands, forcing one to reach for the toothbrush while the other reached for the tube of toothpaste laying on the sink. Eren watched in amazement as his hands moved on their own, loading his toothbrush up for him. He then sighed, ready to give in. 

"Levi, look, I get i- Mph!" Cut off by his own hands, his toothbrush was shoved into his mouth, and finally, he had control back. Not having many other options aside from complying, Eren brushed his teeth as normal, trying to ignore Levi's chilling glare down his back. Once he was finished, the spirit wasted no time in taking control back again, lifting his hand to grab at Eren, pulling him out of the bathroom and back down the hall towards his room. 

"Whoa- Okay- Fine- Levi, I'll do what you want, stop this-" Eren tried to beg, much like he had with Jean previously, and just like Jean, Levi wasn't giving in. With a shake of the head, Levi continued. Eren jumped at the cold sensation of his bedroom door handle, falling into the room as he was forced in. Levi didn't follow him in though, seeming content with standing outside the door. 

"Get dressed. No suits or button ups." The order was met with an eye roll and huff from Eren, his arms dropping as he was finally given back control over his body. Reaching into his wardrobe, he began sifting though all of his white button up shirts, trying his best to find anything that met Levi's standards of 'comfortable', whatever those were.


End file.
